Searching K8016 Velleman Function Generator Kit

Yes the SMD technology and fine pitch IC leads do no longer allow for easy soldering. Even ICs with backside solder joints are a pitty and reflow procedures are pain.

But in modern electronics these procedures are no longer to avoid and the sooner you get familiar with this the better. Nearly all new and important designs or modern LEDs need that process. So it is best to already train students with these methods. So your students will meet these features in their daily work and will need the skills to
desolder 0603 SMD components in their daily work or understand reflow process technology to design even a simple power circuit.

And there are kits out there where this can be trained. Cheap reflow ovens and material to get aquainted with these processes are available to study the technology. Might be you refer to PCB Pool Shop under http://www.reflow-kit.com/rkuk/index.html?PHPSESSID=c1dcfbc531c7f76cd8327680f8a80a94. You can see that the oven is a relative simple off the shelf oven toaster with a more or less "homebrew" controller - other solution can be found in the internet. But this allows already great results in the new technology. (Ok not 100% perfect as this would require a Nitrogen flooded oven to avoid "browning" of white PCBs.) But it is an easy access to "state of the art" in soldering.

If you want to stay on leaded components why not let the students design PCBs with interesting MCU designs and let them learn how to procure the PCBs online or use other available ready made PCBs for MCU eval boards? All this is possible at a low cost..

Tehy provide you with the tools you will need

The biggest problem is the lack of production of the function generator ICs in DIP package. That means you must resort to the parts hoarders who may well want $25 for a part. This could be what has driven the kit makers from the market?

I suggest you look at

http://www.maplin.co.uk/function-generator-kit-220045?c=froogle&u=220045&t=module

Or you can download the 8038 data sheet and build the circuit from that. It's a very simple collection of components.

Dear All,

Many thanks for the fast and valuable replies above.

Let me add some more details:

The K8016 has been used in the last ten years in 6month training courses to teach maintenance and repair of scientific instruments for participants from developing - mainly African - countries. Some of the participants had no experiences even in soldering. In these countries trainees have to repair old instruments (and new too), therefore our program is a mixture of introduction of the state of art technology and theory and practice of very basics.

Consequently the "old technology" is still needed and useful for the course.

The course has been running for 20 years with changed, improved and updated programme. Now a week long introduction and practice on SMT included as well. But at the beginning we gave a general introduction to basic analog and digital in 2 weeks and the velleman oscilloscope kit (still available) and K8016 kit were successfully used for the teaching theory and practice.

If the K8016 is not available, the SMT successor

http://www.elv.at/output/controller.aspx?cid=726&detail=31265

can be used combining the training with SMD soldering as well. E.g. they would assemble the simple http://www.maplin.co.uk/function-generator-kit-220045?c=froogle&u=220045&t=module
and assemble and use the velleman new SMT function generator kit as well.

Thank you all for your advice and looking forward to reading the next advice.

Miklos

http://www.kitsrus.com/kits.html

kit 23 - op amp function generator. I can send you a copy of the included paper work that comes with the kit. I have had students build these kits. They are simple, quick and work well. It does have a modified sine wave. I can't tell you what they cost now days since I now have students build a modified version of it from my parts and the student's breadboard. The original version can only do about 10khertz.